Dead Sea

sea in the middle East

The Dead Sea is a lake between the West Bank and Jordan. It is 418 metres (1,371 feet) below sea level. It is the lowest point on the surface of the Earth.[4]

Dead Sea
A view from Palestine looking across to Jordan
Coordinates31°30′N 35°30′E / 31.500°N 35.500°E / 31.500; 35.500
Lake typeEndorheic
Hypersaline
Primary inflowsJordan River
Primary outflowsNone
Catchment area41,650 km2 (16,080 sq mi)
Basin countriesIsrael, Jordan and Palestine
Max. length50 km (31 mi)[1]
Max. width15 km (9.3 mi)[1]
Surface area605 km2 (234 sq mi)
Average depth200 m (656 ft)[2]
Max. depth306 m (1,004 ft)
Water volume114 km3 (27 cu mi)[2]
Shore length1135 km (84 mi)
Surface elevation−427 m (−1,401 ft)[3]
References[2][3]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The Dead Sea is almost nine times as salty as the ocean.[5] That makes it impossible for most life to exist in it. This is the reason for its name. However, it is not completely dead, because some types of bacteria are able to live in the water.

Because the water is so salty, it weighs more than fresh water. That lets people float in the Dead Sea without any effort. Tourists come from around the world to float in the water.

Gallery change

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Virtual Israel Experience: The Dead Sea". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Dead Sea Data Summary 2012.Water Authority of Israel. The World Bank - 'The Red Sea - Dead Sea Water Conveyance Study Program' - 2013 Archived 2013-09-15 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Monitoring of the Dead Sea". Israel Marine Data Center (ISRAMAR).
  4. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761556205/Dead_Sea.htmlRetrievedon 9 October 2007 Archived 2009-10-28 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-11-01. Retrieved 2007-10-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Other websites change

  Media related to Dead Sea at Wikimedia Commons